Wimbledon confirm huge change for 2025 tournament amid technology review

The All England Club has announced they will be replacing 300 line judges at Wimbledon next year with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a first for the Grand Slam tournament.

The technology will replace the judges, positioned around the court, who called shots out and faults on a player's serve. Wimbledon's decision means they will fall in line with the men's ATP Tour that shall be using the software in all their tournaments from the beginning of next year.

It's claimed that Live Electronic Line Calling will improve accuracy during matches. Explaining that decision, chief executive of the All England Club, Sally Bolton, said: "This decision to introduce Live Electronic Line Calling at The Championships was made following a significant period of consideration and consultation."

ALSO READ: Murray's stunning net worth

ALSO READ: Murray's life away from tennis

She added: "Having reviewed the results of the testing that was undertaken at The Championships this year, we consider the (AI) technology to be sufficiently robust and the time is right to take this important step in seeking maximum accuracy in our officiating. For the players, it will offer them the same conditions that they have played under at a number of other events on tour.

"We take our responsibility to balance tradition and innovation at Wimbledon very seriously. Line umpires have played a central role in our officiating set-up at The Championships for many decades and we do recognise their valuable contribution and thank them for their commitment and service."

AI judges will be used for qualifiers as well as the main draw at SW19. Using technology to judge whether a ball is out or not certainly isn't a new phenomenon for Wimbledon - or tennis as a whole. Since 2007, Hawkeye has been used as a challenging tool by players when they've disagreed with a call from either the umpire or line judge.